Natwar likely in Pak next month, plans to meet Musharraf, Jamali

However, his visit depends on the Parliament session, which would resume by the end of this month after a recess.

Singh told Kasuri over the telephone today that India held the Pakistani leadership in ‘‘highest esteem’’ and was committed to the process of dialogue. The conversation, revealed sources, was held at the initiative of Kasuri.

Singh stressed that the future of India-Pakistan relations did not lie in the past. He added that the process of dialogue would be carried forward in every area and contacts further intensified.

‘‘Both sides have vested interests in promoting good bilateral relations,’’ sources quoted Singh as having said.

The Minister also recited an Urdu couplet: ‘‘Kuch nahin to kam se kam, khwab-e-sher dekha hai; jis taraf dekha na tha ab tak, us taraf dekha hai (at least we are seeing a happy dream, a dream towards which we did not see for till now).

The conversation between the foreign ministers of the two countries was the third since Singh assumed office. Meanwhile, an External Affairs ministry spokesman declined to comment on Singh’s visit to Pakistan for the SAARC meet.

Yesterday, Pakistan High Commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan had called on National Security Advisor J N Dixit and reviewed recent developments in India-Pakistan relations.